Concept
Singularitarianism
Overview
Singularitarianism is a movement defined by the belief that a technological singularity—the creation of superintelligence—will likely happen in the medium future, and that deliberate action ought to be taken to ensure that the singularity benefits humans.
Singularitarians are distinguished from other futurists who speculate on a technological singularity by their belief that the singularity is not only possible, but desirable if guided prudently. Accordingly, they may sometimes dedicate their lives to acting in ways they believe will contribute to its rapid yet safe realization.
American news magazine Time describes the worldview of Singularitarians by saying "even though it sounds like science fiction, it isn't, no more than a weather forecast is science fiction. It's not a fringe idea; it's a serious hypothesis about the future of life on Earth. There's an intellectual gag reflex that kicks in anytime you try to swallow an idea that involves super-intelligent immortal cyborgs, but... while the Singularity appears to be, on the face of it, preposterous, it's an idea that rewards sober, careful evaluation".
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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Becoming is the movement through which a reality or totality becomes; in the animal or plant its essence as universal genus, is that which begins its movement and brings it forth. But this whole is not the product of something foreign, but its own product, what is already present as germ or seed; thus it is called end, the self-producing, that which in its Becoming is already implicitly existent. The Idea is not a…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy
States what Singularitarianism is; the author is tied to Singularitarianism in the knowledge graph.
ii. 459: 'It is a first principle of a philosophic theory of nature to have a view (in the whole of nature), on polarity and dualism.' But he adds (476), 'It is time to define more accurately the concept of polarity.' So Oken, _Naturphilosophie_: §76: 'A force consisting of two principles is called Polarity.' § 77: 'Polarity is the first force which makes its appearance in the world.' § 81: 'The original movement is…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Logic of Hegel
States what Singularitarianism is; the author is tied to Singularitarianism in the knowledge graph.
Wherever there is change, there is instability, and instability is proof of something the matter, of absence, deficiency, incompleteness. These are the ideas common to the connection between change, becoming and perishing, and Non-Being, finitude and imperfection. Hence complete and true Reality must be changeless, unalterable, so full of Being that it always and forever maintains itself in fixed rest and repose. As…
John Dewey, Reconstruction in Philosophy
States what Singularitarianism is.
Related ideas
- Artificial intelligence
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- Mathematician
- Pseudoscience
- Pulitzer Prize
- Ray Kurzweil
- Science fiction
- Transhumanism
- Time (magazine)
- Computer scientist
- Nick Bostrom
- Technological singularity
- Poverty
- Human
- Environmental degradation
- Douglas Hofstadter
- Ethics
- Vernor Vinge